CREATING A POND
In October 2015 we started a project to create a slightly more formal, 8m diameter, circular pond, in front of the silver birches that we put in in 2014. There would be 2 beds arching down either side of the pond, and about 2 metres of paving round the pond with things growing through the cracks. The image below show it in, I think its second year and the slide show below takes it from being a large expanse of grass surrounded by Leylandii, to a finished pond. Below the slide show are some more recent images, taken in 2020.
STEP BY STEP SLIDESHOW
Planting round the pond
In terms of planting, the season starts with mauve and white pulsatilla. I think they are lovely plants. Soft colours, flowers that last for weeks and then those wonderful seed heads that carry on being interesting well into late spring. Sometimes I have tulips in the spring here as well. Next to arrive are the Siberica Irises who flower at about the same time as the grasses, veronicastrum, Astrantia and dianthus are starting to appear. In June there's most colour in the paving with Thrift, slightly weird sedums, Erigeron and dwarf dianthus and, of course, the water lilies are out. Then the veronicastrum and the phlox take you through July, and, if I'm lucky the colour from them and the veronicastrum hangs on until the Astors, Japanese anenomes and vernonina crinata flower in August/September. The latter is an amazing plant for the back of a border, behind grasses. It has gorgeous purple/carmine flowers that last for ever and don't need staking. I've put in some echinacea at the front go the border but I need to put in more to keep the interest going in late summer. I have one Salvia Nachtvlinder and I'm growing some cuttings which I can plant out next year (2021). In the autumn the white trunks of the silver birches stand out wonderfully against the red foliage of all the shrubs behind them and I leave the grasses as long as possible so as to get the wonderful effect of frost on them - if they're not blown down first!
In terms of planting, the season starts with mauve and white pulsatilla. I think they are lovely plants. Soft colours, flowers that last for weeks and then those wonderful seed heads that carry on being interesting well into late spring. Sometimes I have tulips in the spring here as well. Next to arrive are the Siberica Irises who flower at about the same time as the grasses, veronicastrum, Astrantia and dianthus are starting to appear. In June there's most colour in the paving with Thrift, slightly weird sedums, Erigeron and dwarf dianthus and, of course, the water lilies are out. Then the veronicastrum and the phlox take you through July, and, if I'm lucky the colour from them and the veronicastrum hangs on until the Astors, Japanese anenomes and vernonina crinata flower in August/September. The latter is an amazing plant for the back of a border, behind grasses. It has gorgeous purple/carmine flowers that last for ever and don't need staking. I've put in some echinacea at the front go the border but I need to put in more to keep the interest going in late summer. I have one Salvia Nachtvlinder and I'm growing some cuttings which I can plant out next year (2021). In the autumn the white trunks of the silver birches stand out wonderfully against the red foliage of all the shrubs behind them and I leave the grasses as long as possible so as to get the wonderful effect of frost on them - if they're not blown down first!
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